DEDICATION OF ART AT THE NEW YORK FIRE MUSEUM IN MEMORY OF FIREFIGHTERS KILLED ON 9/11 OR INJURED AT GROUND ZERO - FAMILIES TO GATHER AT PRIVATE OPENING Contact: Mark Hopkinson 561/750-9800 ext.15 mhopkinson@transmediagroup.com FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NEW YORK, NY, FEBRUARY 15, 2002. - Families of firefighters who lost their lives or were injured at the World Trade Center on 9/11 will gather with New York City firefighters on February 15th from 2-5 p.m. at the New York City Fire Museum for a private dedication of art honoring their remembrance. Titled, "We Will Not Fail - A Tribute to the American Spirit," the painting is the work of artist Don Scafidi, a former merchant marine captain and U.S. maritime delegate to NATO. Part of the proceeds from the sale of prints of the painting will go to the World Trade Center Miracle Foundation. The Foundation's programs provide long term financial support for the families of those lost or injured in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. "When I first conceived of this dedication I thought about donating it to the 9/11 Disaster Relief Fund but have since decided on the World Trade Center Miracles Foundation, an organization which will live on long after the big "Funds" are gone," Scafidi said. Scafidi hopes to raise at least $125,000 for WTCMF's "Ground Zero Medical Fund" from the sale of the first limited edition prints. The first edition will be sold in active participation with the Foundation. The powerful painting can be previewed at www.americawillnotfail.com. A native New Yorker and former Maritime Attaché to the U.S. Embassies in Rome and Athens, Captain Scafidi was responsible for merchant shipping in the Mediterranean, Middle East and Africa. His extensive travels have accommodated his passion for art. The World Trade Center Miracles Foundation is working to establish endowments that meet the needs of families who lost loved ones in the 9/11 attacks, such as caring for children with long-term medical problems. Next month, the Foundation's efforts will be further rewarded when a four-year-old whose father was killed at the World Trade Center on 9/11 will receive needed heart surgery, paid for in part from donations to its "Adopt-A-Family" website: www.wtcmf.org.